We have a new and exciting venture ahead of us as we are working within the Home first discharge Team at Salford Royal Hospital to support patients who are fit enough to go home but need a little practical or social support to do so. When working with the hospital team and patients it has become increasingly clear that there are a number of different factors which aid in the successful discharge of people which allows them to go home safely with all their needs met and most importantly, they can get home quickly.
Support from our communities and VCSE sector helps people address what matters to them can help them have better quality, personalised care, tailored to their needs and as close to home as possible.
One area that has been identified is transport for people who are going home but don’t need an ambulance. By not having to wait for an ambulance it means the patient isn’t waiting as long and frees up space in the hospital for people who are in more urgent need.
Another example is cleaning, for example some people are admitted to hospital suddenly leaving behind an untidy house and some TLC is needed to make going home manageable. Some people may have been in hospital for a long time and their home may require a quick clean before their return, some people may also struggle to clean their home while recovering and may need some support with this until they are back to full strength.
We also know that social isolation can be a reason for some people to become unwell and lead to them being admitted to hospital and often make people worried about going home to an empty house with little support. There are many ways our sector can support people to be less isolated and supported to be at home including ‘befriending’, connection to social groups, and check and support calls, etc.
These are a few of the areas that can support a person’s discharge from hospital that may impact the likelihood of them having to be readmitted. They may also help reduce the need for additional services such as mental health services or longer term care services by supporting the transition between being an inpatient and being back at home, helping them manage better and making sure that people don’t become socially isolated or excluded and miss out on essential connections.
How can you help?
We are building our knowledge of how the VCSE sector can support people to go home from hospital. Brooke Taylor, the Home First: Hospital Discharge Support Worker from Salford CVS, would like to understand what your organisation is currently doing that could help a people who are about to be or who are recently discharged from hospital; for example
- Do you offer a chat and support service?
- Do you provide dog walking or transport home?
- Do you deliver hot food or pick up some essential shopping?
- Do you have a cleaning or maintenance service?
- Do you provide or install aids and adaptations?
What could you do if you had additional resources?
Salford CVS would like to support our sector to support people to get home from hospital, what might you do if you had some additional resource?
Contact Brooke: Email